Many years ago I had viral pneumonia really badly and before I went into hospital I was too weak even to read or listen to the radio – I was just hanging on by a thread. But I was able to gaze at the big Monet print by the bed and let it carry me. It had an extraordinary aura – almost palpably I could feel a peace and strength that seemed to emanate from it. I was running a high temperature too and the colours – pale turquoise shades and aqua blues and greens – also made me feel cooler. When our friend went into hospital last week we in the valley here all felt discombobulated. Anxious, out of sorts. Irritable. It was as though the peace of this wonderful place had become disoriented and tak

Yesterday a visitor here in my studio lifted me from the worry that’s suddenly engulfed us all in our valley. He bought the latest two paintings in my The City Never Sleeps series. I was delighted, partly as online sales, after being really busy the last couple of weeks, went quiet again over the weekend, but especially as he was so pleased with them. Although the price of the large one was the gallery price, he still couldn’t get over being able to buy original work he loved at prices no more than he was used to paying for prints in shops and galleries, and far less than he’d assumed he’d have to pay for original work. “And it’s real paint!” he said, “Every single mark you’ve made yoursel